Ashby de la Zouch Town Council has confirmed the return of the annual Statues fair next month.

The event in its usual form was cancelled last year - although a smaller version was set up to give the Pat Collins Funfair event some presence during its usual September slot, and maintain a tradition stretching back over 800 years.

Children's ride to keep Ashby's 801 year tradition alive.

Ashby Council confirmed today (Thursday): "The 2021 Ashby Statutes will take place from Friday 17th to Tuesday 21st September.

"The Fair will be on from 6pm on Friday 17th Sept, 12 noon on Sat, 12-8pm on Sunday for the family day.

and from 4pm on Monday and Tuesday."

For those new to the area, Wikipedia describes the event like this: "Ashby Statutes, a travelling funfair, is held every September. Instituted by Royal Statute, it was originally a hiring fair, where domestic servants and farmworkers would be hired for the year.

"During the fair, Market Street, the main road through the town (the former A50 trunk road), is closed for nearly a week. The traffic is diverted along narrower roads either side of Market Street. Locals call this event "The Statutes"."